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Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour Tourism has modified the rules for tourist facilities, such as restaurants, nightclubs and hotels, by banning the sale of alcohol beverages to Egyptians on all religious occasions and not just during Ramadan, in respect for Muslims.

Those occasions include the month of Ramadan, Islamic New Year's Eve, the night of the prophet’s Night Journey, the prophet's birthday and the day of Arafat during the pilgrimage.

Facilities violating that decision would be suspended. Previously, alcohol was only banned in Ramadan, but the minister immediately agreed to a proposal by Sherif Ismail, his legal adviser, to extend the ban to other occasions.